Two hundred four are from Norden's main plant, off I-95 in Norwalk, and 16 are from a plant in Melville, N.Y., on Long Island.

Norden currently employs 1,706 workers in Connecticut, down from 2,361 at the end of 1989. The company employs 2,060 workers overall.

The layoffs are in line with a Norden plan, announced in January, to eliminate 600 jobs this year as part of a restructuring by Norden's parent company, Hartford's United Technologies Corp. Norden laid off 120 workers in March, and a third round of layoffs is expected in September.

Norden spokesman Scott Brinckerhoff attributed the layoffs partly to delays in the awarding of government contracts on which the company is bidding. "There wasn't enough business to sustain this many people and still have a hope of being competitive," Brinckerhoff said.

In particular, he said, Norden, teamed with a Russian partner, is seeking a contract to supply a new microwave landing system to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The system would allow aircraft to make a curved approach to a runway, enabling controllers to move more planes through an airport. It would also help jets land in conditions of poor visibility.

Norden is also seeking to win contracts to supply the Navy with submarine-hunting sonar, and systems that guide jets to landings on aircraft carriers. Because of the delays, "We don't know if we've won or lost," Brinckerhoff said. "We're in limbo."

Although it has been reducing its work force and closing sites, Norden has been losing money at least since 1986. In its first-quarter earnings report released last month, however, parent UTC said Norden's operating performance was improving, partly because it renegotiated a radar contract with the Israeli air force.

"We have met our plan for the first quarter, and we are feeling good about our financial performance to date," Brinckerhoff said. "But we still have a way to go."

UTC executives have told Wall Street analysts they are optimistic that Norden will turn a profit by 1993